


Dream is collapsing

by fl4nel



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, Inception AU, Multi, also the rating might change we will see about that, i love inception can you tell, this will probably be painful im sorry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-23
Updated: 2015-07-12
Packaged: 2018-04-03 02:47:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4083718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fl4nel/pseuds/fl4nel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"There are no laws down there," Ukai had said, "If you don't thoroughly create your own, you'll get swallowed alive. Not that I would care, but I'm just saying."<br/>When you're up against the wall, that's when the most cruel of all gambles begins. What are you willing to leave behind in order to achieve your goal? This deep into the realm of dreams, feelings are fleeting and evanescent. They float around, barely tangible, just far enough to prevent you from reaching. And like ideas, they never quite bloom inside you unless you are not trying.</p><p>***Dropped sorry***</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One simple idea

**Author's Note:**

> ///sweats  
> This one is heavily inspired by Inception although I think you can still follow what's going on without having seen the movie first! I got the idea while working on How to summon things you shouldn't and I wanted to get it out of my system somehow. I'm actually pretty excited with this au so I hope you will all enjoy!!

The room feels stuffy.

Oikawa takes a sip from his wine glass and eyes his surroundings with nonchalance. The reception hall is filled with people talking, or as Akaashi had told him earlier in his earbud ‘idly and worthlessly chatting’.

He smiles. If there is someone who gets more irritated than him in large crowds, it definitely is Akaashi. His partner has never really been a fan of hectic atmospheres. He hides it well, though. Lucky for him.

For as long as Oikawa had known him, Akaashi had always done a great job at hiding his emotions. He shuts them in almost perfectly. For any regular observer, he’d be wearing a stoic, emotionless mask almost permanently.

When you knew where to look though, Akaashi’s practically wearing his feelings out on his sleeve. Tooru can usually tell how he feels by a small twitch of his eyes or the way his voice tone would drop down a few decibels.

But that’s because he knows where to look.

Tooru winks at a pretty woman with a long red gown while making his way across the room. She blushes and looks down shyly. Man, he really does love the color red.

Above their heads, enormous chandeliers are hanging from the ceiling, aiming to give the entire hall a warm and inviting kind of feeling. It would have worked if only they had decided to open the windows a bit. June is particularly humid this year and frankly, a mandatory suit and tie reception is not something Oikawa would qualify as ‘inviting’ in this temperature.

He adjusts his collar, already feeling sweaty.

And he shouldn’t even be here to begin with. Sighing, he mentally curses at Kuroo’s forced absence for the thousandth time of the night. Only an idiot would manage to get stuck at airport security in Manilles of all places.

Kuroo is a good Forger. He blends in perfectly with the crowd, switching characters and appearances in the blink of an eye. He has the eye of an observer, a crucial asset for their team. Oikawa must admit he isn’t so bad at it himself, but he doesn’t have Kuroo’s experience. Plus, his real job lies elsewhere.

Although right now he doesn’t really have a choice. They have a mark to follow and information to gather.

By now, Oikawa is pretty sure he’s got the guy all figured out, though. Ennoshita Chikara is young and charismatic, yet he doesn’t really seem to enjoy all the small talk he’s forced to do. He still does it and with so much ease that it probably could have fooled the eyes of anyone else but Oikawa. _He must be used to it,_ Oikawa thinks, _doing things he doesn’t like_ _in order to please his circle_.

Ennoshita drinks a lot, too. Probably to forget the fact that he’s the heir of a crumbling financial empire while knowing with certitude that he doesn’t have the competencies nor the influence he needs in order to even pretend to be able to lift his father’s company from the ground.

But hey, Oikawa’s just guessing and, if anything, he’s got to acknowledge the other man’s ability to blend right in.

What he needs now, is a bait.

Someone close enough to his mark, someone Ennoshita trusts, someone who won’t raise any suspicions, even in the weirdest circumstances.

Someone they will be able to use against him.

On the corner of his eyes, Oikawa watches Ennoshita excusing himself from a conversation with an old man whom suit is probably worth more than half of what an average worker would make in a year. His mark bows and smiles politely before turning around with a subtle roll of eyes.

Oikawa crosses paths with him, looking straight ahead and barely acknowledging his presence with a small nod.

 He continues walking until he reaches a window, where he casually looks at his watch, taking another sip from his glass.

“Akaashi,” he calls softly in his earbud.

“I think he’s going outside. Second balcony from the right,” his partner answers quickly, as professional as always.

“Roger.”

 

Akaashi is the most talented Point Man Oikawa had had the chance to work with in a long time. He thinks everything thoroughly and leaves close to nothing to chance. They get along pretty well too, and make a rather good team. As it stands, they do most of their jobs together.

It hadn’t been like this from the start, though. If Oikawa recalls correctly, he had hated Akaashi’s guts when Ukai had first introduced them to one another. There were too different and at the time, Oikawa still –foolishly—trusted in his own talent more than anything and refused to work in team. Somewhere along the line though, he had managed to step on his ego and had had no choice but to recognize Akaashi’s skills after they were forced to work together. The outcome of their pairing could have been disastrous, but true to himself, Ukai had gambled and won.

Akaashi has an amazing memory and he’s probably just as knowledgeable as Oikawa is on Dreams and what comes with them. He’s one of the few persons Oikawa trusts at one hundred per cent during missions and today, he would most definitely call him a valuable partner.

 

Tooru shuffles with ease through the mob of people, sliding in between millionaires and waiters while excusing himself politely, until he gets close to the window near the second balcony.

Ennoshita is indeed outside, leaning on the stony guardrail of the balcony. He looks lost in thoughts and Oikawa is just about to open the door and call out to him to make conversation, when a lady wearing impossibly tall heels approaches the boy and slides an arm around his neck with a coy smile playing on her painted lips.

Ennoshita automatically eases into her touch, grabbing her hand and responding to her smile. Oikawa exults.

“Akaashi, I think I found her.”

“Good. You know what to do.”

And yes. Oikawa knows.

He takes his phone from his pocket and quickly snaps a few pictures of the woman, making sure he captures all her angles.

He grins at his screen. Looks like he’s done for the night. Kuroo is going to be able to pick up from here; he’s not worried about it.

He turns around, about to call it a night, when he collides right into someone’s chest. He quickly builds a smiling yet self-important façade --the one everyone around him has been wearing all evening-- before looking at the stranger.

“Oops,” he chuckles faintly,” Didn’t see you here, sorry about that!”

Oikawa makes a move to get around him.

“Oikawa Tooru,” the man says.

He stops dead in his tracks and turns around slowly.

The stranger is staring at him with two cold, metallic, blue eyes. He seems pretty young yet he is wearing an angry scowl that makes him look harassed and his gaze is intense enough to make Oikawa feels like his cover is being completely ripped to pieces. And perhaps it is. How else would the kid know about his real name?

He decides to play it off anyway. Maybe he still has a chance at escaping him and ending his evening in relative calm.

“I think you have me confused with someone else,” Oikawa apologizes before attempting at moving pass him again.

The stranger puts a hand on his arm and Oikawa glares at it, offended at this blatant invasion of privacy.

“I know I’m not,” the kid says again with that annoyingly confident voice of his, “I know who you are, Oikawa Tooru,” he repeats, “And I need your services.”

Oikawa wants to laugh. Who the hell does he think he is? He highly doubts a kid his age could afford an Extractor. He shrugs his arm off the other man’s grasp and frowns.

“I’m busy right now, kid,” he says, dropping his act and adopting his usual intimidating stare.

The other man fidgets for a moment. “I figured as much,” he whispers nervously tugging at his tie, “but I believe my offer could be worth your time.”

“How much?”

“A lot.”

“ _How. Much.”_

“Six millions now, the rest after.”

“Now we’re talking!” Oikawa smiles, reaching around the other man’s neck. The guy visibly stiffens, but he makes no attempts at escaping him, “What’s your deal, stranger?” Oikawa inquires playfully.

He tries to maintain a detached expression, but he can feel himself starting to grow more curious by the second. Six million dollars is a lot of money.

“I believe it would be in our best interest to take this discussion somewhere else,” the man says, eying their surroundings carefully.

Oikawa almost snorts.

Of course.

“Let’s go, then!” He calls, motioning him towards the exit. There is no need to waste any more time at this pompous reception and he would rather check on the stranger’s offer before notifying Akaashi. The kid doesn’t need to know that he’s not working alone. His point man probably noticed the exchange by now anyway and chose not to involve himself and he wants to respect that.

When the other man doesn’t follow, he glances over his shoulder and finds him staring at him with cold eyes.

“With your associate, if possible,” he specifies.

Tooru curses mentally. How come does he know so much?

Perceptive asshole.

 

 

 

< < <   > > >

 

 

 

The other man leads Oikawa and Akaashi to his car, a luxurious black limousine with tinted windows. In front, sitting behind the wheel, a chauffeur with hair so short he looks like he doesn’t have any. He’s wearing sunglasses and nods at them when they shuffle by.

How cliché and unpleasant, Oikawa thinks. Whoever sent this kid needs to step up their game.

Akaashi is wearing a dubious scowl, apparently sharing the feeling. He hadn’t been that thrilled about the change of plans in the first place.

 

 _“What’s going on, Oikawa? I thought we were done for the night,”_ the point man had hissed into his earbud when Oikawa had asked him to meet him and the mysterious stranger outside.

“Six millions. More to come.”

“What?”

“Six millions, Akaashi.”

“I hope you know what you’re doing.”

In the end he had agreed, probably more concerned about Oikawa’s safety than interested in the money.

 

The stranger opens the door for them and Oikawa only hesitates for a fraction of a second before entering the car, quickly followed by Akaashi and the kid.

He closes the door, not locking it, and Oikawa sees Akaashi visibly relaxing when the limo remains parked.

The car is rather spacious and Oikawa makes himself comfortable in the leather seats, crossing his legs in a way he knows make him seem self-confident, if not slightly threatening. He smirks, adding to the effect.

“ _The first rule when meeting possible new clients is to make sure you have the upper hand in the deal. People are quick to assume things about Extractors and will be more than willing to take advantage of you if you give them the chance,”_ Ukai’s words still echo in his mind after all these years, “ _Hold your ground and make the first move if necessary.”_

 _Got it, coach_.

He stares at the stranger expectantly, raising his eyebrows.

“Oh, hum,” the kid stutters, looking uncomfortable. Oikawa winces mentally. Who in the world thought that the guy was suited for this job? “I’m Kageyama Tobio. It’s an honor to finally meet you, Oikawa.”

Oikawa hears Akaashi huff next to him and he can’t repress a grin. True, he’s quite known in their field of work, but so is Akaashi. Or so he thought. And Kageyama made a fuss about him bringing his partner too. How weird.

“Where have you heard about me?” He asks nonchalantly, staring at his nails.

Kageyama looks down, “Ukai,” he mutters.

Oikawa hides his surprise. Yes, okay. Ukai doesn’t really care about this whole ‘profesionnal secret’ stuff, but he’s usually more careful about revealing information. Unless…

“I’m an extractor too,” Kageyama admits, most probably following his train of thoughts.

Oikawa eyes grow wide. “Then why the hell do you need my services for?” He tries not to sound too aggressive but, judging by the way Akaashi is staring at him, it doesn’t seem to be super effective.

Why would a company or a private –because Oikawa is growing more and more certain by the moment that Kageyama is here at someone else’s demand—hire an extractor to find another extractor?

Unexpectedly, Kageyama’s eyes flash dark, “Because I tried and didn’t succeed, that’s why,” he says through gritted teeth, “And I was mandated by them to find you as some kind of compensation.”

He sounds bitter and angry, but also sad and that tickles Oikawa’s curiosity.

He decides to drop off the subject, though, seeing as it obviously makes the other man uncomfortable. He does it for the sake of their deal, Oikawa tells himself, not because he feels some kind of pity towards the guy because if there is someone who knows what Extractors have to cope with both inside and outside the Dreams, it’s him.

“So. Tobio-chan~” Oikawa sings loudly, purposefully breaking the mood. He leans back against his seat, “Who is your man and why is he worth six million dollars?”

He sees Kageyama stiffening at the use of the nickname.

“Iwaizumi Hajime,” he says, glaring at him without any hint of his previous vulnerability. Oikawa hums appreciatively. He didn’t think Kageyama could regain his composure this quickly. Good for him. The extractor reaches into his pocket for a picture.

The man on the photography has tan skin, short black hair, and a serious expression on his face. He’s not bad looking either. Oikawa gives the photo to Akaashi, silently asking him to take a look as well. _‘We are in this together.’_ The other man takes it, pinching his lips.

To his surprise, he immediately hums in recognition.

“I think I know who he is. Isn’t he working for Seijou?”

“Yeah,” Kageyama nods, “He’s their ghostman.”

Oikawa raises an eyebrow, “Ghostman?” he repeats, “What are ghostmen anyways?”

“Big companies have those,” Akaashi supplies, “They do the dirty work for the higher-ups. Most of the time, it involves covering up illegal transactions and possible scandals, but it can also means spying and stealing and in the worst cases, murder.”

Interesting.

Oikawa turns to face Kageyama, “Let me guess, the people who hired you are working for a rival company that would directly benefit from Iwaizumi failing to cover up a scandal.”

Kageyama’s fingers twitch on his seat, “It’s more than that,” he says, “They want—they need—him to quit his job. Definitely. The company would have crumbled a long time ago without him, so it’s like giving Seijou a small push, that’s all.”

“That’s all,” Oikawa muses to himself. He gets where this is coming from. Seijou would never a precious asset like him go. To make this work, the decision would absolutely need to come from Iwaizumi himself.

“So they want me to convince him to quit his job, correct?”

“Pretty much,” Kageyama says, ”But the thing is this isn’t about extr—“

“Extracting an idea, but rather implanting one,” Oikawa cuts him.

He is starting to understand why this is so tricky. Implanting an idea is on a whole other level than your average extracting. He only succeeded once in doing so himself. No wonder Kageyama failed. Especially if he’s a newbie.

Tobio nods quietly, “They want to break him completely. And,” he adds biting his lip,” I couldn’t do it.”

Oh. So it wasn’t just about the extracting part. If he’s still reluctant about having a total, complete, and overwhelming victory over his mark, Tobio must be even greener than he thought. Oikawa guesses a job as radical as this one might have been a bit too much for any young extractor but honestly, if Kageyama didn’t dive ready to fulfill his mission by any means necessary, he won’t last long in the field.

From what’s he’s hearing, the whole thing sounds pretty cruel, but frankly Oikawa has seen worse, it’s part of the job. Too bad Iwaizumi Hajime is too talented for his own good. Especially if there are more than six million dollars on the line. Any man comes with a price higher than his morals, Oikawa learnt it the harsh way over the years. He knows he does and he’s way too far gone in this whole extracting business to ever hope changing that fact. It doesn’t bother him. Not exactly.

If not for the money, no one would want to become an extractor or a point man or a chemist or anything related to Dreams, really. People usually want nothing to do with them. Too risky, they’ll say, the gamble is too big .  Ukai had told Oikawa himself, “ _Dreams, the real thing, are for mad people. And people willing to lose parts of themselves are to be feared.”_

Oikawa had been afraid at first, of course. His first dive still wakes him up sometimes and he finds himself shaking and sweating in his bed, unable to go back to sleep, haunted by his own memories. They all do.

But by getting close to the fear, you eventually manage to tame it. It’s what we don’t know that terrifies us. Familiar territory is nowhere near as scary, all Extractors learn it somehow.

Oikawa is pretty sure that by now, he could and would do anything to carry out a mission.

Akaashi is staring at him, eyes dark and unreadable. ‘Anything? Are you sure?’ He seems to ask.

“Who is it that’s hiring me anyway?” Oikawa asks Tobio, looking away from the scrutinizing gaze of his point man. As much as he trusts him, his friend’s ability to see right through his intentions has always made him uncomfortable. He’s used to be the one doing the reading part, not the opposite.

“They would rather stay anonymous,” Kageyama answers.

“Then how are we supposed to communicate with them?” Akaashi asks, much to Tooru’s surprise. He wasn’t expecting the point man to participate in the discussion. Not that he minds, though.

“I’ll provide the link between you and them—if you accept, of course.”

Oikawa guesses by his slightly proud expression that he had managed to negotiate this position through a lot of argumentation.

What an interesting kid, Oikawa thinks.

He doesn’t mean it as a compliment, though.

There is a lot he doesn’t like about not knowing who is hiring him. The risk is high, but then again so is the money compensation.

He shares a look with Akaashi. He wants to agree, but if his point man says no, then he’s ready to close the deal, disappear in the city, and never speak to Tobio ever again. And frankly, that would be a relief. Except he would probably ends up regretting it, too.

What he finds in the other man’s eyes is resignation and resolve. He was expecting the first, but the fire he can see behind Akaashi’s dark orbs really comes off as a surprise. He smiles.

“We accept the offer, Tobio-chan~”


	2. radical notion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life's path is a slippery one and it's a lot easier to lose your footing than to get your bearings

“Oikawa. What the fuck do you want.”

Friendly as ever, Ukai welcomes him with a scowl and a puff of smoke, cigarette held lightly between two fingers and legs propped on his desk. “I thought I told you to leave me alone.”

His tone is harsh but Oikawa can detect the fondness behind his words. Plus, he still accepted to meet him even at this hour of the night.

His mentor’s office didn’t change much, same nicotine scent lingering all over the room, same old furniture, same subdued lighting coming exclusively from a desk lamp, same blatant lack of decoration.

“Ukai-san,” Oikawa greets him politely with a bow. He grins when his mentor lifts an eyebrow, unimpressed. “Don’t worry, don’t worry!” he adds quickly, “I didn’t come here to annoy you.”

“Could have fooled me,” Ukai snorts and takes a long drag off his cigarette, exhaling the smoke through his nose. “I take it you’re here on business, then?” he asks after putting out his cigarette in an ash tray.

“Yes. I’m actually looking for an architect.” No point in beating about the bush.

Ukai looks at him with wide eyes and coughs. “Serisouly?” He laughs dryly, regaining his composure and motions at him to sit in the chair on the other side of his desk. “I should have known. It’s the first time you come see me in years and you’re right to the point, as usual.”

It’s worded like a reproach but Oikawa knows better. If anything, Ukai himself is a man of actions. For as long as he can remember, his mentor had never been fond of long speeches or unnecessary discourses. He smiles. “I might need two or three handymen too. People who know what they’re doing.”

“What the fuck did you get yourself into?” Ukai asks, bewildered, “I’m not even the one in charge for those guys, you know that.”

Oikawa shrugs nonchalantly, “Six millions dollars or something.”

His mentor tsks. “Now, you’re just bragging. You still piss me off, you pompous brat.” Ukai glares at him and reaches into his pocket for another cigarette, sighs when he can’t find one. “For the hitmen, I suggest you find them yourself. Anyway, you know a few, right? It’s best if you trust them already.”

Oikawa knows that. And he knows more than just a few of them, but he has no idea who would be willing to help them for something as tricky as an inception. They are pretty rare and their success rate is even scarcer.

Too bad. He’ll have to dig up his list of contacts, then.

“And as for the architect, I might have someone for you,” Ukai adds, thoughtful, after a short silence, “He’s still pretty unexperienced, but he has a lot of potential. He’s a diamond in the rough, if I can say so myself. He possesses raw skills and a very practical imagination. He’s good.”

“Better than me~?” Oikawa asks with a smirk. He didn’t work long as an architect once he had begun his contracts as an extractor, but he knows he has the talent. Hell, he got into the field because of it and he still does it when he needs to, like for the deal with Ennoshita.

Ukai stands up, “Way better than you,” he assesses with a smirk of his own, “he’s got a better character than you do too, that’s for sure. But,” Ukai makes a dramatic pause, eyes dark and glowing with a threatening glint, “If you hurt him in any way Oikawa, I swear to god I’ll personally come find you and punch you in the face.”

Tooru wants to laugh. That concludes it. If Ukai says he’s ready to go to these lengths to protect the kid—and he would, Oikawa knows it. He would do it in a heartbeat if it meant having a good reason to punch him in the face—it must mean that said architect really has something special. “What’s his name?” he asks, not bothering to hide his interest.

“Yamaguchi Tadashi.”

“Yamaguchi Tadashi,” Oikawa repeats, rolling the name on his tongue, “Where can I find him?”

Ukai writes an address on a piece of paper and hands it to Oikawa, “You won’t find him alone, though.”

“What’s that even supposed to mean.”

Oikawa winces. His mentor’s handwriting has not gotten any better over the years and he can barely decipher the numbers and letters on the paper. But he hadn’t expected a straight-up answer regarding Yamaguchi’s location in the first place, so he’ll take it and refrain from teasing his mentor about it.

Ukai laughs loudly. “See for yourself, kid.”

Oikawa shrugs mentally. It won’t make a difference in the end anyway. He stands up. “Can I ask you something else?”

The architect was just one of the reasons he had come to see his mentor directly after meeting with Tobio. There is something else he wants to make sure of, something that has been bothering him.

Ukai furrows his brows. “Sure.”

“Do you, by any chance, know about a Kageyama Tobio?”

Ukai doesn’t answer right away. His mentor rummages through his drawers and makes a small noise at the back of his throat when he finds an unopened pack of cigarettes. He takes his time, opening it carefully and lighting one with deliberate motions that can only mean one thing: he does.

“Yeah,” Ukai sighs, breathing out a cloud of smoke. Well, at least he doesn’t try to hide it. “Why? Is he the one who came to see you?”

Oikawa bits his lip, unsure about the course of action he’s supposed to take. It’s not like he doesn’t trust Ukai, quite the contrary, but he had learned to be extremely careful when it came to revealing information, even to neutral parties.

_“The walls are the best listeners I know.”_

Ironically, the piece of advice came from the man standing in front of him.

“Would make sense, I guess,” Ukai goes on and doesn’t insist, mumbling with his cigarette in his mouth. “It’s okay, you don’t have to answer me.”

Oikawa nods and retreat to the door, clutching the paper with Yamaguchi Tadashi’s location on it. He has what he had come to get and more. And now he knows Tobio wasn’t lying when he said he knew Ukai and that’s a good thing. It will do for now. He doesn’t need to waste any more of Ukai’s time, not immediately at the very least.

“Thank you for everything,” he says, hands on the doorknob.

Ukai grunts a ‘ _no problem’_ and waves him off.

Oikawa opens the door and is about to close it when Ukai calls his name.

“Oikawa!”

He blinks at his mentor.

“Fuck it,” Ukai mutters under his breath. He’s back behind his desk, scratching his hair, and looks positively harassed. Oikawa raises an eyebrow. “What is it?”

“I don’t know about the whole thing, but,” he says, “be careful. With Kageyama, with Akaashi, with everyone.”

Oikawa smiles at him, the smile he knows Ukai hates because it’s too wide, with too much teeth and not enough feelings. “Am I not always?”

 

 

 

 

 <  <  <    >  >  >

 

 

 

 

Kuroo whistles appreciatively. “That Kageyama kid sure came prepared, huh.”

“You can say that again,” Akaashi sighs, dropping his bag to the floor.

“Prepared is an understatement,” Oikawa agrees with a snort.

As soon as they had accepted, Kageyama had given them keys. “They open up the apartment next to Iwaizumi’s,” he had said, “It’s fully furnished and big enough to accommodate a whole team. Since this mission will probably necessitate more than one dive, _they_ thought it could be useful. ”

They had waited a week before coming to check on it though, just in case. And turns out the apartment is in fact, gigantic: tall ceilings, spacious rooms, and a whole wall covered in windows revealing an impressive urban scenery. The place is high enough to minimize the noise disturbance coming from the circulation, but it’s not high to the point of preventing them from distinguishing the vague silhouettes of the passers-by roaming the streets downtown.

It’s luxurious too. Even if Oikawa is used to it, having lived in hotel rooms for the major part of his life, the luxury is on a whole other level.

Marble floors, for god’s sake.

Oikawa is not sure about the relevance of having an apartment as big as this one, seeing as they were all bound to get pretty busy in the next few months and will most likely be working separately, scattered all over the city.

Also, the chances of the whole team spending more than a few hours together at the same place were pretty low, not to add not really subtle when your neighbour was your mark, but hey. They got an apartment for free so no complaining.

With a bit of ingenuity, they could easily manage to make the place seems like a normal apartment, at least for Oikawa’s cover. And it would make a great headquarter, for the Ennoshita case anyway.

They still had to work on that one.

“Do you want me to call Suga?”

Akaashi has his cellphone in hand and is looking at him expectantly. “Unless you want to work with another chemist?”

Oikawa shakes his head. “No. I was thinking about calling him, too. I don’t think anyone else could manage it anyway. An inception is not something on Yahaba’s level. Not yet, at least.”

He leaves the keys of the apartment on the counter and makes his way to the door.

“Already leaving?” Kuroo asks before plopping on the couch in front of the TV, making himself comfortable. He bounces on the cushions for a while with a pleased expression on his face. “I could get use to this,” he mumbles.

“Mmh yeah. I still need to check on that Yamaguchi kid Ukai told me about,” Oikawa says, waving the small piece of paper with the address in front of him. “If he’s good enough, I think I’ll have him design for Ennoshita, it’ll make good practice.”

Akaashi hums in agreement. “And Kuroo,” he calls, “maybe you could render yourself useful and contact Daichi? Or Bokuto?”

Kuroo slumps his shoulders.

“Actually you should call both,” Oikawa adds with a grin, “We’re gonna need them.”

“Daichi doesn’t even have a phone!” Kuroo whines.

Oikawa shrugs. “Not my problem, big guy. Send him an email, at least. You’re lucky,” he smiles, “he doesn’t even answer _my_ messages.”

“Well that’s because you’re being an ass, I don’t blame him” Kuroo smirks.

Oikawa laughs. Daichi is really fun to rile up, but most of the time, he ends up pushing his luck and leaves the hitman basically pissed off.

At least, Daichi doesn’t hate Kuroo yet—quite the opposite in fact from what Oikawa had understood—and he knows he has a lot of respect for Akaashi’s skills so chances are he’ll accept. He’s crossing his fingers. They could use some of his experience.

“Don’t drag my ass into this, Kuroo. Use your own,” he comments wisely with a shit eating grin on his face before leaving the apartment.

He thinks he hears Akaashi sighing and Kuroo muffling curses into a pillow.

 

 

 

 <  <  <    >  >  > 

 

 

 

Yamaguchi Tadashi is easily recognizable. Even in the room full of students on lunch break, he’s studying quietly in his corner, looking completely absorbed in whatever thing he’s drawing. His brows are furrowed in concentration, his tongue poking out at the corner of his mouth.

He’s exactly like the girl that Oikawa stopped in the hallway described. Tall, freckled, brown hair tied up in a ponytail. She had blushed cutely and had practically run away right after answering him, refusing to meet his eyes much, to his disappointment.

Outside of the Dreams, Oikawa has his own methods of obtaining information.

How else was he supposed to proceed, really? The school ground is gigantic, the students scattered everywhere. He could as well use his natural charisma to get what he wants. A few smiles here and there never hurt anyone.

That was something only Ukai would do. Throwing him the address of a University—a University for God’s sake!—and expecting him to find one student like a needle in a haystack. Or in a whole damn barn, while he was at it. “ _You won’t find him alone.”_ Wow, no shit.

_And me who thought he was being suspiciously conciliatory, too._

But he had managed to find his guy, has he not?

Just as Oikawa is about to step into the classroom, a hand slams down on his shoulder and roughly turns him around.

Facing him is a tall blond guy with glasses looking a weird mix between pissed off and condescending. Expensive looking headphones are wrapped around his neck.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he snarls.

“Can I help you?” Oikawa shoots back, quick to the draw. He’s not about to let himself be impressed by some bratty kid with a bad attitude. He scowls. “Do you have any business with me?” he asks again, tone as icy as he can manage.

Blond guy quirks an eyebrow and crosses his arms on his chest. “Depends.”

“On what?”

Damn. He is starting to get on his nerves.

“On what business you have with _him,”_ the tall kid deadpans, pointing in Yamaguchi’s direction with his chin.

“What makes you think I have any business with him to begin with?”

The other man glares at him and adjusts his glasses. “Please,” he scoffs, “I know your kind and I had the feeling the day would come when one of you dimwits would be lurking around for Yamaguchi. It was only a matter of time. I know how to tell a wolf from a lamb, I’m not _stupid_.”

“What _exactly_ are you implying here, _brat_?”

“Exactly what you think I’m implying, _Extractor_ ,” he ironizes, spitting out the last word like it’s some kind of poison that is burning his tongue as he pronounces it.

Oikawa is about to give him a piece of his mind when a soft voice interrupts them. “Tsukki…Is everything alright?”

Yamaguchi Tadashi is standing in the doorway, looking at Oikawa with a weary expression on his face.

 

 

 

_[Two years earlier]_

 

“Tadashi, it’s a very bad idea.”

Yamaguchi just blinks. “I appreciate your concern, Tsukki, but I’ve already made up my mind.” He hums quietly and just goes back to his math homework.

Tsukkishima looks at him. He feels betrayed? Baffled? Why can’t Yamaguchi just see the possible—no the obvious outcome—of his decision? He should know better. He, before anyone else, should know better. So why in the world does Tsukkishima feels like he is more aware than he is? Why is he the one trying to make him realize he’s making a huge mistake?

“It’s not something you should take lightly,” he says through gritted teeth.

Yamaguchi drops his pencil and sighs, turning around to face the boy sitting cross-legged on his bed. The afternoon light is filtering through his bedroom curtains, sketching warm shadows and golden highlights all over his furniture. A flock of dust is dancing around in the rectangle of light coming from the few centimeters separating the two curtains, making it look like small fairies.

“Kei,” he starts. Tsukkishima tries to ignore the way his stomach turns, like it does every time his friend calls him by his first name, ”If you think I didn’t think this through, you’re dead wrong. I spent hours weighing the pros and the cons and—

“Then it should be obvious, shouldn’t it? You have no business going back in architecture, not after what happened to your mother,” Tsukkishima interrupts him. He can actually feel himself becoming angry. Why can’t Yamaguchi understand?

 “Kei. Listen to me.”

Yamaguchi’s tone is sharp and his stare harder than Tsukkishima ever recall having seen on his friend. He shuts his mouth.

“This is my decision. I talked to you about it because I trust you, I really do. But my choice is clear and you have no other option than to suck it up and live with it. I have a goal and I’m going to reach it, no matter how hard or how dangerous it might seems. Plus, me going in architecture doesn’t mean I’ll end up extracting and you know it.”

He says that, but Tsukkishima knows he wants to. It’s his dearest wish. Those words and those eyes are exactly what he had feared.

Yamaguchi usually is a pretty easy-going person, smiling, agreeing to whatever he says but sometimes, he’d have those moments where Tsukkishima couldn’t make him change his mind no matter how hard he tried. He could be a stubborn ass when he wanted to.

“I don’t understand,” Tsukkishima whispers, shaking his head.

He had seen Yamaguchi coping—or at least trying to—after his mother had fallen into a coma. Seen how sad and painful it had been for him, how angry he had been at the Dreams, at his mother’s extracting team, at the whole world. He had gone with him countless times to the hospital, only to be told every time that nothing had changed and that most likely, nothing will ever do.

He had seen Yamaguchi’s heart break too many times not to care.

His friend smiles softly and comes join him on his bed. He sits in front of him and grabs his face with both his hands.

“Tsukki,” he says, “You’ve been here the whole time, yet you don’t understand.” Without thinking, Tsukkishima raises his own hands and puts them above Yamaguchi’s fingers on his cheeks, anchoring their reassuring warmth on his skin. The other boy narrows his eyes slightly but doesn’t move. “I’m still angry and I’m still sad,” he goes on after a short silence, “But I’m tired of just doing nothing, you know? My mom is in a coma and I’m powerless. The only thing I can do is live for myself. And that’s only possible if I keep doing  something I enjoy and something I’m good at—And I know I’m good. Dad told me I had talent and I can feel it every time I dive. I feel it in my bones, in my head, in my _blood_. Have you ever dived, Tsukki?” Now his eyes are shining almost feverishly and Tsukkishima wonders if this is what passion is supposed to feel like. He wants to hate Yamaguchi for binding himself so carelessly to something so much bigger than him, but he can’t. Not when the other boy sounds so alive, so earnest. He feels his reluctance fading slowly. “It feels amazing, Tsukki,” Yamaguchi breathes. And Tsukkishima wants to believe him.

“Then show me,” Tsukkishima hears himself say. His friend blinks at him. “Show you what, Tsukki?”

“Show me what it’s like to dive,” Tsukkishima licks his lips, “I don’t understand it, but I want to. Because,” his voice chokes up in his throat and he ends up murmuring the last part, “because I don’t want you to be left alone anymore.”

Yamaguchi takes his hands out of Tsukkishima’s grasp only to gently lead the other boy’s head into the crook of his neck. Tsukkishima’s breath stutters as he wraps his arms around his friend, clutching at the fabric of his shirt. “I don’t want you to be left alone anymore,” he repeats mechanically. Yamaguchi just hums and says nothing and Tsukkishima has never felt more thankful in his entire life.

 

Later when he wakes up from his first dive, feeling dizzy but ecstatic, the only feelings that are stronger than the need to dive again are the desire to protect Yamaguchi against everything that makes the Dreams what they are, and an unshakable will to shield the boy from his own fascination.

_“Don’t be an obstacle to his growth, be an ally, a shadow, a protector. Stand in between him and the rest of the world.”_

 

 

 

 <  <  <    >  >  > 

 

 

 

 

“An inception?”

Yamaguchi sounds surprisingly interested, which Oikawa takes as a good sign. “I didn’t think it was actually possible to pull it off,” he goes on, taking a sip from his coffee.

The small coffee shop they’re in is pretty close to the university. Yamaguchi had suggested they go and talk somewhere else than in the middle of the school corridors and Oikawa had easily agreed. The place is cozy and smells good and no one inside had seemed suspicious so he had gone right to the point.

That had pleased Yamaguchi a lot more than it had seemed to please his friend—Tsukkishima Kei, as he had reluctantly introduced himself— whom had stubbornly insisted on accompany them even though he had made it clear that he didn’t trust Oikawa even in the slightest bit. 

“Extractions are a lot more common,” Oikawa agrees with a smile.

“A lot less dangerous, too,” Tsukkishima mutters under his breath.

“True,” Oikawa shrugs with another smile, this one a bit forced. He’s heard about Yamaguchi having ties with the extraction business, but the reason why Tsukkishima seems so much knowledgeable about it remains a mystery. But he wouldn’t leave Yamaguchi’s side, so he didn’t really have a choice. Ukai would call it ‘careless’, but Oikawa prefers to say that he’s being productive.

“But if you want to go there, nothing about extracting Dreams is particularly safe either. One misstep,” he adds, “and you fall forever.”

Tsukkishima’s features harden and a shadow passes in front of Yamaguchi’s face but neither of them comments his statement.

_I’m walking on thin ice here,_ Oikawa thinks _._ He clears his throat.

“I managed an inception once,” he says to break the mood, “so it’s doable.”

Yamaguchi nods earnestly, all traces of his previous discomfort vanishing from his face. He nudges his friend. “See? And he’s alive, right?”

“There is no one as alive as I am,” Oikawa swears, putting his hand on his chest.

“Whatever,” Tsukkishima sighs. Oikawa beams at him and the other boy automatically scowls.

“So, you’re asking me to design that inception, correct?” Yamaguchi inquires, bringing them back on track or trying to avoid any other kind of confrontation between him and Tsukkishima, Oikawa can’t tell.

“Yes, eventually,” he answers, bringing his attention back on the boy, “I have to make sure you are fitted for the job first, though.”

“That makes sense. And how does that work?”

“If you accept, we’ll have you design for a normal extraction, something we are already working on. Pretty much everything but the Dream settings have been taken care of already and I’d like to see you work for myself. It shouldn’t be a problem I believe. Since you’ve already done these before.”

Oikawa thinks he hears Tsukkishima grumbling a ‘ _just great’_ but Yamaguchi only nods. “It makes sense,” he repeats.

Oikawa beams. “So you’re agreeing? Of course, if you do I will take the responsibility of showing you around and making sure you’re in touch with every member of our team.”

Yamaguchi seems deep in thought but Oikawa knows he’s got him. He knew he’s gotten him from the moment he had mentioned Dreams.

The only thing that could stay in his way now would be…

“Tadashi. Are you sure?”

Tsukkishima is staring at Yamaguchi, his expression resigned but worried. It looks surprisingly soft on him and Oikawa is starting to put two on two together.

Yamaguchi nods at his friend, movement stiff and quick, and turns back to Oikawa. “I’m in,” he says.

“Good,” Oikawa smiles, satisfied.

Normally, he would call it a day, give Yamaguchi his phone number and leave, but while he’s at it…

“And you Tsukki~? What exactly are you doing in the picture?” “Don’t call me Tsukki.” “So? What is it?”

Tsukkishima resolutely closes his mouth and looks away. Yamaguchi fidgets for a moment.

“He…” he starts, answering for him, “You could say that he’s my bodyguard or something. Usually, I don’t dive without him, but I haven’t done a lot of serious jobs either so I’d understand if he couldn’t…”

“This is perfect!” Oikawa cuts him, clapping his hands together, grinning, “It turns out we’re still in need of hitmen for the inception. What a fortunate coincidence, isn’t it?”

Yamaguchi narrows his eyes. “Tsukki!,” he exclaims, shaking his friend’s arm, “This is great! You’ll see,” he adds at Oikawa’s intention, “He’s really good at what he does. He’s serious and he can use a lot of weapons! Also, he’s super level-headed and never loses his cool. He’s awesome!”

“Shut up, Yamaguchi.”

Tsukkishima’s cheeks are flushed and he looks like he wants to melt into his chair.

_This is rich_ , Oikawa thinks with a smirk, _who would have known that that bratty blond fry would turn into a strawberry when he’s embarrassed? Pretty cute._

“Sorry Tsukki!”

And that’s the most unapologetic apology Oikawa has ever heard.

 

 

 

 

 <  <  <    >  >  >

 

 

 

 

Daichi’s email read ‘Come see me.”

It’s short and straight to the point, just like him. Kuroo is just happy that he managed to get an answer. No matter what Oikawa had said, his relationship with Daichi is far from perfect and they’ve been out of touch for a while, now.

Last time, things got complicated.

But he doesn’t want to think about it, not now, standing in front of Daichi’s apartment, about to see the other man for the first time in a whole year.

His steps grazing on the rusty porch seem to make a lot of noise, but Kuroo is glad. It’s masking the persistent humming of his annoying train of thoughts. He doesn’t want to think about the past. He’s here on business. Oikawa and Akaashi are both counting on him and he doesn’t want to let them down. Not when he still feels guilty for getting stuck in Manilles and letting them handling his part of the operation.

He doesn’t bother with knocking and is about to turn the knob—it should be unlocked, as usual— when the door snaps open. Kuroo let go and miraculously avoid stumbling forward like an idiot.

Daichi is standing in the doorway, wearing nothing but joggings. He wears them low on his hips, hip bones jutting out and chiselled abs obscenely on display. He looks like he has lost a bit of weight but other than that, he hasn’t changed much. Same haircut, same tribal tattoos adorning his arms and shoulders, same old scar viciously slashing across his chest. He has kept that singular laid back attitude which Kuroo knows is only a front he’d be willing to surrender in a heartbeat.  He’s smirking and Kuroo gulps.

He’s doing it on purpose, he realizes.

Daichi’s eyes crinkle when he brings both arms in front of him to perform a short series of signs Kuroo remembers how to decipher without much effort.

_‘It’s been too long.’_

 

 

 

_ <  <  <    >  >  >_

 

 

 

 

It’s only once the elevator doors close that Oikawa realizes he’s standing next to Iwaizumi Hajime. His initial reaction is to freeze, but then he remembers that the other man doesn’t have a clue about his whereabouts and he relaxes.

I’m a new neighbour, he tells himself, nothing weird.

Feeling the other man’s gaze on him, he smiles brightly. “Hello~ Nice evening, huh?”

Iwaizumi creases his eyebrows and answers with a non-committal noise that sounds like an agreement before looking away.  

He looks a lot more intimidating in person—and a lot more handsome too. Strong jaw, a muscled body his fitted training clothes do a poor job at covering up, a confident stance. He looks like he’s just out of the gym judging by the thin layer of sweat covering his forehand and by the towel that’s wrapped around his neck.

Heck, even his scowl is attractive.

He’s totally my type, Oikawa realizes in shock.

He pouts. The first good looking man that life throws at him in in while and he ends up being the mark he’s supposed to break. Unfair.

When the elevator reaches the last floor, Iwaizumi lets him go down first with a small motion of his hand.

“How chivalrous~” Oikawa says before he can stop himself. Iwaizumi shots him a mean glare.

 

Oikawa laughs and basically skips all the way to his front door, his feet sinking in the soft carpet covering the floor.

The corridor is long, framed by fancy paintings on each walls, but his apartment is one of the firsts. Iwaizumi lives further down the aisle. Or at least Tobio had told him so.

 

Oikawa intentionally fumbles a bit with his keys, just to be able to see Iwaizumi's expression as he comes across and finds out they live next to each other. To his surprise, a shadow casts itself on his door as the other man actually stops behind him. Oikawa turns around, a huge smile plastered on his lips.

 

"So you're my new neighbor," Iwaizumi comments, face neutral but tone friendly, "Nice to meet you," he extends a hand, "I'm Iwaizumi Hajime."

"Oikawa Tooru," Oikawa introduces himself without thinking and shakes the hand he's offered.  


He bits his lip when he realizes that he just blew his cover without even having one in the first place.

 

Great.

 

He curses at handsome faces and chiseled bodies for his lack of attention. He hears Ukai voice at the back of his head _'be careful. With Kageyama, with Akaashi, with everyone'._ He'd punch himself. It's not like him to be this careless, but to his defense, they are still working on another case and he hadn’t really had the time to think about it. Kuroo would probably laugh at him, nonetheless. And the deed is done now anyway.

 

"Well, welcome in the building. If you need anything I live in the apartment next door and I'm usually here during evenings."

 

Oikawa is suddenly overwhelmed with the desire to put something— anything— between him and Iwaizumi. He manages to make his key turn in the lock and pushes his door open. "Thank you Iwa-chan~," he says, voice velvety and dripping with so much sweetness, he could probably develop a cavity just from it. “You’re a sweetheart.” He knows he probably sounds impolite and annoying and judging by Iwaizumi's face, he is. 

 

With a wink to the other man's intention, he closes his door as quickly as he can manage without making it slam. The sound it makes is still a relief.

 

The apartment is dark. Akaashi probably went on errands and hopefully, Kuroo is out trying to find them hitmen. In any case, that’s good. He could use some alone time right now.

 

A small thump on his door makes him jump. He takes a look in the peephole.

 

“Remind me to never be _chivalrous_ with you again,” Iwaizumi says, tone sarcastic, before striding away, ruffling his hair with his towel.

 

Oikawa sighs heavily and leans his back against the door. How did he manage to fuck things up this quickly?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and here we go!  
> yes Daichi is mute (it's not like i was inspired by gangsta or anything) I know nicolas is like old Kuroo but still. please consider mute! daichi  
> I threw in some very self indulgent tsukkiyama and kurodai im sorry about that but I can't say it's not going to happen again c:
> 
> thank you for reading (and for your patience)!! 
> 
> I'm working on a lot of stuff at the same time (yay me) so next update probably won't be before a few weeks sorry about that //bows
> 
> @galaxytooru.tumblr.com

**Author's Note:**

> First chapter is like an introduction, I'm aiming for the next ones to be longer! My updates will be slow, though. I apologize in advance, but that's what I get for working on two chaptered fics at the same time orz
> 
> Kudos and comments are always appreciated and thanks a lot for reading!
> 
> @galaxytooru.tumblr.com


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